The State Board for Wildlife, under the provision of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, amended in 2002, incorporated Gogabeel as Conservation Reserve and Community Reserve on 2 August, 2019. Gogabeel, Bagharbeel and Baldia chaur are important wetlands enlisted in the Important Bird Areas (IBA) of Asia. It is a prototype of oxbow lake of about 1 to 5 km dimension with ample water content round t
he year. The waterbody and land area of Gogabeel encompass 217 acres area of which 73.78 acres belong to the government while the rest is owned by the local community of Amdabad and Manihari blocks of Katihar district. The area is heavily flooded during monsoons every year with rains and spill over from Kankhar, Mahananda and Ganga rivers. The lake is rich in aquatic flora and fauna providing abundant food attracting migratory birds in the winters. The lake provides a habitat for about 130 species of birds of which about 30 are migratory. Globally, there are 13 bird ways of which 2, namely, Central Asian and South Asian bird ways traverse Bihar. Waterbirds which have been visualised recently in the month of January 2021 by the environmentalists and bird viewers of Janlakshya are as follows:
Pond heron Indian cormorant
Great cormorant Little cormorant
Cattle egret Great egret
Intermediate egret Little egret
Northern lapwing Gray headed lapwing
Red wattled lapwing Black winged stilt
Little stint Little grebe
Great crested grebe Gray headed swamphen
Pheasant tailed jacana Bronze winged jacana
White breasted waterhen Asian openbill
Lesser adjutant Black headed ibis
Red naped ibis Common kingfisher
White throated kingfisher Pied kingfisher
Osprey Oriental darter
Wood sandpiper Red crested pochard
Ferruginous duck Northern pintail
Eurasian wigeon Gadwall
Common pochard Grey lag goose
Eurasian coot Green winged teal
Cotton pigmy goose Northern shoveler
Lesser whistling duck Grey heron
Purple heron Yellow bittern
K**b billed duck Glossy ibis
Booted Eagle
Major threats to Gogabeel:
Over the decades, waterbody of the lake have shruncken due to accumulation of silt following every flood
Intensive agricultural practices including the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides pose threat of water pollution affecting phyto and zooplanktons of the lake and its possible accumulation to toxic levels in the birds
Sound pollution is disturbing the bird habitat due to use of tractors, vehicles, pump sets and loudspeakers during ceremonies and festivals
Water pollution due to plastics, polythenes, thermocol, metals, detergents, kerosene, mobil and other bio non degradable products due to human activities of different types
Fishing
Poaching
Human establishments and activities hampering the tranquillity of the area and construction projects like power grid, transmission lines, towers, multilane roads
